Reliability and validity of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in Japan

To examine the reliability and validity of the Japanese-language version of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale and to investigate the agreement between child self-reported fatigue and parent proxy-reported fatigue.

The Japanese-language version of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was administered to 652 preschoolers and schoolchildren aged 5-12 and their parents, and to 91 parents of preschool children aged 1-4.

Internal consistency reliability was 0.62-0.87 for children and 0.81-0.93 for parents. Known-group validity was examined between a group of healthy samples (n = 530) and chronic condition sample (n = 102); the chronically ill group reported a significantly higher perceived fatigue problem. Correlations between child self- and parent proxy reports ranged from poor to fair. In subgroups identified by cluster analysis based on child self-reported scores, the greatest agreement between child and parent reports was seen in the good HRQOL group, while the least occurred in the poor HRQOL group. The parents overestimated their child's fatigue more when the child's HRQOL was low.

The Japanese-language version of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale demonstrated good reliability and validity and could be useful in evaluating Japanese children in school and health care settings.